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🕑 Added 2024-06-08 19:32:07 +0000 UTCChapter 4: The Players of The Game.
Albus Dumbledore was about to rest after the feast celebrating the victory of Lily Potter's love over Tom Riddle's hatred when he felt the use of immense magical energy. The last time such energy was felt on Samhain was the night Lord Voldemort lost his body. His eyes widened as he realized that the number of people who have the reserves to use such energy is limited, himself included, and whatever ritual powered by the Lords on this night would be catastrophic. The so-called Magical Lords are born when fate, magic herself, and the time of birth align to create immense potential. They represent the upper echelon of magical power known to the common wizarding populace. He and his old lover, Gellert, are the most famous Lords alive around the world.
He sighed, knowing his sleep was lost for the night. Rising from his comfy bed, he walked as magic swirled around him, vanishing his pajamas towards the laundry pile while his colorful robes of rainbow hues flew and enveloped his surprisingly muscular form. He decided that whoever had caused him to lose sleep would suffer by his hands.
He arrived at the Headmaster's table and looked around at the portraits of past headmasters.
"What has happened? Did anyone hear anything?" he asked politely. Even when the portraits were empty, he knew they could hear from the other portraits. It was an unofficial secret that no Hogwarts headmaster had revealed to the outside world, as it was quite impossible to do so.
Professor Everard appeared from his portrait at the Ministry. He looked panicked, as there was some noise from the people there.
"Headmaster, there has been panic in the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad and the Auror Office. Both detected a tremendous magic outburst at the same time. The Auror Office is panicked because the outburst reportedly blew up a neighborhood, and the fire is spreading faster than they can suppress."
Albus's face paled at the news, and for some reason, a baby's face came to his mind—perhaps because of the day—a face with a lightning bolt scar and piercing green eyes. He turned towards the blood wards tracker he had made and saw it was destroyed. His initial panic increased until formidable shields slammed shut and an additional thought stream activated to plan the consequences with the confirmation that Harry‘s potential was of a Magical Lord and the wizarding world will be shaken again. He had long hoped it to be false, but he had to deal with the hand he had been dealt.
"Fawkes," he yelled.
A bright flame bloomed above his head as it enveloped his body, and he vanished from the wards of Hogwarts.
He arrived in the middle of hell. Intense fire that could burn through his instinctual shield and enchanted robes in seconds enveloped him as Fawkes sang a haunting melody and vanished. His wand was in his hand in an instant, and the heat vanished from his surroundings. Another wave of his wand, and understanding bloomed as he confirmed the deaths of the Dursleys and Arabella Figg.
He couldn’t find anything regarding Harry and concluded that he had instinctively vanished from Surrey. Calmly, he walked toward the muggle residents rescued by emergency services to inquire about Harry.
He found a middle-aged woman being tended to by the emergency services. He waved his wand, and there was silence as they froze. He healed the woman as recompense for violating her mind and entered her thoughts. It was as easy as jumping into a pond for him. The memories ran through his mind, but he couldn’t see anything regarding Harry. There was no mention of Harry Potter. He chose another muggle to examine, and the same thing happened.
In the third person, Albus started looking for any discrepancies and found that the memories had been modified, but the skill used was immense. He realized he couldn’t reverse it without causing irreparable damage, which he didn’t want to do. After examining dozens of minds, he reached a terrifying conclusion. The mind wipe was very recent and done simultaneously. There was only one man he knew who could do this: Professor X, a muggle with terrifying telepathic power. Anger and helplessness enveloped Albus regarding the matter of superpowered beings doing whatever they wanted to both muggles and magicals alike. Albus knew he was powerful enough to hold them accountable personally, but the resulting fight would cause irreparable damage to the Statute of Secrecy and the status quo of the world as a whole. He sighed, remembering that Gellert always said that being hesitant to change was a weakness of his.
Albus was about to Apparate and initiate the search for Harry Potter when he sensed a mind trying to enter his politely.
"Albus," the telepathic knock of Professor X was recognized by Albus instantly. His Occlumency shields activated immediately, and his pool of magic began churning in preparation for a fight.
"Peace, Albus. We are landing and just want to talk," the voice replied calmly.
A sleek black jet became visible in a nearby field outside of Privet Drive. Only the supersensory charm on his glasses allowed him to see the black jet in the darkness.
Albus Apparated near the jet. As the ramp opened, the sound must have been shocking because a heavily muscled yellow blur came to tackle him. His magic reacted, and even before the blur could reach him, it was stopped. Albus saw the eyes of the man—whom he recognized as James Howlett, someone he had met during World War II and the Grindelwald war—widen in surprise. James tried to overpower the magic holding him but was unsuccessful.
"Enough, James. You know I am not an enemy you could take down," Albus said.
“What the fuck are you talking about you old fart?” strained voice of Wolverine snapped.
Albus silenced the uncouth man who has not changed in decades.
The professor was wheeled down by a man in blue fur and, strangely enough, a teenager with red hair and a small resemblance to Lily Potter.
"Enough, Logan. This is Albus Dumbledore, a sorcerer of considerable power and influence," Professor X said, and Albus saw the teenager's eyes widen upon hearing about magic.
"Xavier, why are you here after wiping the memory of everyone in this town about Harry Potter? I know only you have the considerable talent and power to do so. And where is Harry Potter? If something has happened to him, you are advised to tell me everything you know about him," Albus said in a stern tone.
The girl froze upon hearing the name Harry Potter, and suddenly, like a long-lost dream, she remembered a blur of the day she awakened her power. She was sure she had heard the name Harry Potter many times that day, and he was a baby. Everything else was still a fog inside her mind.
"I have not done anything, Albus. I felt enormous psychic energy being used here in Britain from across the pond. Only an omega-level awakening of mutant power would cause such waves in the Astral Realm and alert me. I tried using Cerebro to locate and placate the awakened mutant until we could reach him, and I found a mind already organized and using its powers. The only thing I could pick up from the mind, which was so thoroughly embedded in his very self, was his name: Harry Potter. Nothing else. He noticed my presence, which requires a high level of skill, hid himself from me, and let me ask you, what does your lot have to do with this?"
Albus contemplated the revelation that Harry was a mutant, something unheard of until now. More concerning was the instinctual skilled use of both magic and telepathy.
"Harry Potter is a 10-year-old wizard. He is a national hero from the age of one when he survived the Killing Curse and destroyed the Dark Lord Voldemort. It was I who placed him here with his mother's family, the Dursleys, for his own protection."
"Impossible," Professor X exclaimed. "I have studied the X-gene thoroughly. It is a powerful source of power and doesn’t play nice with any other sources. You cannot have another set of powers when you have the X-Gene."
Albus smiled at the surprise shown by Xavier; the normally carefully hidden arrogance of the enigmatic telepath was now apparent.
"Well, it seems you are incorrect in this matter, Professor. Harry is the son of two of the most gifted students I had the pleasure to teach at Hogwarts and has shown accidental magic at a young age. I have personally seen it when he was a baby, and even now, I am here because I detected tremendous magical power being used. However, it seems you are also correct regarding Harry being a telepath, as it is almost impossible for him to be powerful enough to cause such outputs using magic alone. Now, I have a question for you. Who is this teenager who resembles Lily Potter, especially the eyes, and more importantly, why did you bring her here to a potential fight?"
It took almost a minute for Professor X and Hank to digest that there might be more to the X-Gene than they understood.
"This is Jean Grey. She is the first cousin of Petunia Evans and Harry Potter, and a powerful telepath and telekinetic," Professor X began.
"What?" Jean Grey yelled in surprise.
Professor X ignored the shout and continued, "Ten years ago, on this same day, she awakened her own powers while witnessing the death of her best friend and mysteriously vanished after waking from a coma. She was found in this field with no memories regarding the time or how she arrived here, except for witnesses seeing an orange flame appearing during the night. It would be better for her to be here to placate Harry as she is his cousin."
"Intriguing," Albus said, carefully studying the teenager. Jean tried to hide behind Hank as she felt like the Gandalf cosplayer was seeing through her soul. After a couple of seconds, she felt a tiny intrusion into her mind and was surprised that she couldn’t immediately detect it. The difference between telepathy and magic was evident in it. Before she could push out the tendrils, Albus’s mental representation appeared in flames before her mind.
"Ms. Grey, I am assuming that you are here willingly with the X-Men and Professor Xavier has not coerced you or others to join with his powers. You are a cousin to Lily, and I owe a great debt to her and will help you if needed."
"What are you implying?" she replied mentally, surprised.
"I had to ask. I will not be surprised if Xavier used other methods to enforce his vision. After all, it is not every day you meet a telepath who constantly emits a 'trust me' aura around himself."
"No, Professor X helped us, and we follow him because he is the only one doing anything for us. How can you judge him like that, even if you seem to know each other in passing?"
The mental image of Albus smirked at the girl. The benign smile and calm façade that had been constant until now washed away, replaced by a stern indifference that enveloped the aged face. An indifference that showed nothing mattered more than his opinion and his goals, regardless of the cost.
"Oh, my dear girl, I alone could know because I was once him. I see an 18-year-old version of myself and my best friend in him and Magneto. The only problem is he never had a reality check like the one I got that made us part ways. My friend went on with our plans and enacted them. You may have heard about the basic idea in your history lessons. It was called World War II. So I know what I am saying, and I wouldn’t have told anyone among you mutants if you were not such a powerful telepath who could defend yourself from him. Be wary and cautious."
Jean Grey was stupefied upon hearing the admission that the idea of instigating a war came from this kind old man standing in front of them. The entire mental conversation ended in a couple of seconds.
"And Jean, I haven't told you anything about the cousins because the Dursleys wanted nothing to do with your family. I am sorry for your loss," Xavier said solemnly.
Jean looked down in sadness. "I don’t know what to say."
"I see," Albus interrupted, "it seems that both of our journeys are incomplete since we couldn’t find Harry. I will look for him and find him shortly. If he has any trouble with his mutant abilities, I will inform you about him. Harry is to attend Hogwarts at 11, and there will be nothing to stop that."
Xavior heard the dismissal in the tone. "No," Jean snapped, "he is my cousin, Professor. I am the only relative who even knows he exists. I want to be informed when you find him, and I want to meet him."
Albus smiled upon hearing that. "Ah, I will not, of course, stop family from meeting each other. I will definitely inform him and you about each other. Don’t worry, Ms. Grey."
Jean nodded, and Xavier motioned for Hank to move back to the X-Jet. Albus stood there, contemplating the consequences of Harry having mutant powers long after the X-Jet vanished into the night sky.
The Ancient One, seated in a lotus position and utilizing the Time Stone to observe the latest magical outburst from Britain, was not faring well on the work front for the last decade. Her workload had increased so dramatically that she had to frequently resort to using the Time Stone to meet the demands. However, despite this, she found solace in the fact that whatever Death and the Phoenix wanted with the Boy-Who-Lived from the Wizarding world was not her concern. Even though she was truly blessed by the Phoenix, which demanded repayment, she took comfort in that entity has not asked anything in return.
Although she hadn't noticed it sooner, her rebuilt body was not that of a base human. By her calculations, she was more powerful than Steve Rogers but lesser than the future Spider Totem. She could channel immense magic without any strain, her capacity to channel Universal energies and life energy/chi had increased dramatically, eliminating the need to borrow powers from any friendly entities as she usually did. She was always grateful to The Phoenix, as she could scry and witness Dormammu cursing her and the Phoenix for truly harming him. She believed that without the harm inflicted by the Phoenix on that fateful night, Dormammu would have overpowered Aggomotto’s shield and consumed her Earth. The Dark Dimension had truly changed, and not for the better. There was something more in The Dark, but despite her efforts, she couldn’t scry it out even using the Time Stone.
However, all these blessings came with a cost. She was now truly human in her feelings and emotions. It was quite ironic that she had sacrificed her feelings and emotions, becoming a cold, logical mind with the sole goal of protection of the world when her body was human, and now she had all the human feelings when her body was truly inhuman. She had even developed a fear of death, which she had welcomed for years before the Merging of 1991.
She could have endured all of that, but the true curse was her feelings of lust and love. She had never had a family or child, but being healed by the Phoenix caused her body to become capable of childbearing and suffer from lust and attraction towards both men and women. Only her will of a thousand years allowed her to overpower the hormones in her new inhuman body. Dealing with the hormones alone was headache enough, leading her to decide that she would not do anything more for the Phoenix other than what was directly ordered, such as helping Jean Grey when the time came.
Moreover, her will was such that she didn’t even feel the hormones attempting to compel her until she met him for the first time almost a decade ago.
It was only a week after the Merging, and she was preoccupied with banishing all the demons who had crossed over during the merging. According to her sources and scrying, Mephisto, the Lord of Hell, was engaged in a war down there to establish his rule. According to them, there was a King of Hell who was missing and had gone on vacation. She tried to recall anything about such a king, but her memory was blank, and she didn’t have the time to search through the records. While hunting the devils in the US, she finally heard rumors of a Devil who traded in favors in Los Angeles. A devil who ran a nightclub named Lux under the name Lucifer Morningstar. Even the name didn’t trigger any memories, but she knew there was something missing.
It was nighttime, and the club was packed. The Ancient One observed the den of debauchery through the mirror dimension. She saw liquor being consumed by people of all genders like water, weed being smoked, and as the dancing began, drugs being handed out in corners by the dealers. She noticed a devil disguised as a girl bartending. Despite scanning the area, she couldn't spot the supposed King anywhere, so she decided to visit the patio.
Upon entering the patio, she witnessed a scene that would not be easily forgotten. It was an orgy. A man was surrounded by female bodies, all of them extraordinarily beautiful. One woman was riding the man while another straddled his face. Two others were being fingered by the man, while another pair sucked on his nipples. The women were either kissing each other or sucking on nipples. The Ancient One scoffed, feeling above such base desires. She had long abandoned such desires, but she felt her body growing hot, even though there was no heat or cold in the mirror dimension. She started to become increasingly uncomfortable as her body responded to the scene in front of her. Panic set in as she realized it was a sensation she had never experienced before.
She returned to the club to escape the view and calm down. Her first decision was to confront the girl and then banish her after having a drink to steady her nerves. She appeared in a discreet corner and cast a high-level illusion that no ordinary devil could see through, allowing her clothes to blend in. With calm determination, she strode through the crowd, her enhanced body and charisma making a path clear even though the people didn’t consciously realize why they were moving aside for her. As she approached the girl, who she had overheard being called Maze earlier, she observed the girl with a sense of mirth, scanning for any threat to herself or her boss.
Maze scoffed as Ancient One sat down in front of her. "So who are you supposed to be?" she asked derisively. "I can see there is an illusion, but can’t see through it. You are powerful enough to attract my attention, so what do you want?"
"A heavy glass of drink for now," Ancient One replied slyly.
Maze scoffed again but began pouring from a bottle. After filling the glass halfway, she pushed it toward the sorceress.
Ancient One picked up the glass and cast a subtle spell to check for poisons, which came back with a negative result. Satisfied, she started drinking it.
“Ah, there you are! I was very disappointed that you didn’t join us when you were spying on me, my dear Yao,” the silky voice of Lucifer was heard as the man, now dressed in an expensive silk suit, sat down on the stool beside Ancient One.
Ancient One tensed as she hadn't sensed Lucifer approaching or that she had been caught spying. Her body betrayed her as her cheeks turned red upon hearing the offer to participate in the debauchery. However, she quickly regained her composure, her face stern as she prepared to deal with the masquerading devil.
"I will not participate in such debauchery, especially not with a devil masquerading and playing with mortals as the King of Hell," Ancient One said with disdain, trying to hide her surprise and fear at the fact that the handsome devil knew her name.
Lucifer's grin widened at her response. He mimicked being stabbed in the heart and said, "You wound me dearly, my love. What have I done to earn your ire? I have not harmed any mortals; I've only helped deliver justice here with the Detective. I'm on my vacation, and now I'm even considering living here permanently. This is more my vibe than the dreary halls of hell. Booze, boobs, babes, and brutal punishments handed out. What more does one want in life?"
Ancient One grimaced at the descriptions. "I don't have time to entertain your foolery now. I initiated a friendly meeting only because you seem to be non-violent and not harming the mortals. I have many more important things to do since the Incident on Samhain, which you know as you used the seconds gap in Agamotto’s shield to sneak here. You are the last devil I have to banish, and I kept you for last as you were the least harmless. Now I am asking you politely to leave Earth, as you belong in Hell and not here. You don’t want me to get impolite; I have heard there is a huge war going on there between devils and Mephisto for the throne of Hell, and a wounded devil claiming to be the imaginary king of Hell, Lucifer, appearing there will make you prey immediately."
The easy grin on Lucifer’s face vanished slowly during Ancient One’s warning. Lucifer looked around as he felt a presence scrying when Mephisto’s name was said aloud, but he could feel the presence immediately vanishing as the presence saw who uttered his name. Lucifer was impressed; to scare the Lord of Hell of Mephisto’s caliber, it takes enough power and ruthlessness. Yao has grown up so well.
"Well, well, well, you have certainly grown very powerful, my dear Yao, from the last time we met, to utter that name and force it to retreat immediately upon seeing it was you. Impressive. Your threat was also quite dramatic enough to scare even the Lords of Hell, but I am not one of them. Come on, my dear, let us come to a deal. Why should there be a quarrel when we could easily come to an agreement, and I could grant you any favor?" Lucifer's tone was smooth, his words almost seductive.
Ancient One’s eyes widened as the threat level of this imposter increased dramatically when he didn’t even react to the presence of Mephisto.
"Sorry for bursting your little play here. I have not met you in my life, and you don’t know me. There shall be no deal, and my own duties wouldn’t be done if I complied. Also, your favor is worthless to me as I have no need for it," Ancient One retorted firmly.
Lucifer immediately looked at her sharply. She felt as if she was being x-rayed down to her soul.
"That is where you are wrong, my dear. Please tell me, do you really believe that I am just an imposter, as you said?" Lucifer's voice was smooth, his tone almost mocking.
"Yes, you are obviously an imposter, as there is no God. Angels, Fallen Angels—all have been not even a myth before the Incident on Samhain, let alone existed in this world, at least for a millennia, and I know, as I was alive during those years. My guess is that you are a Lust Devil, as the seduction is even affecting me as we are just talking," Ancient One said with a slight blush.
Lucifer’s eyes widened in surprise as he registered the fact that Yao was powerful enough to recognize and remember the previous history of her world and that his charm was working its magic.
"Impressive. You have become more and more entertaining for me. You remember the world has changed before the merging, but not the new history, which has been the truth all along, or someone has played a prank on me by making you forget our previous encounter. I guess it is the second, and for your information, I am not a lust Devil or using any seduction magic; it is just my God-given charm working on your desires, my dear," Lucifer replied smoothly.
Immediately, the friendly calmness broke as Ancient One tensed, knowing that only high-level beings knew about the change in reality. Her hands moved as reality cracked like glass, and the mirror dimension enveloped both her and the Devil. Ancient One prepared for a shielding, but she was surprised that the devil was still sitting calmly and drinking his vodka.
"Who are you? Only a few know about the things you mentioned. My mind is sacrosanct and protected by more than my magic. It is not possible to alter it without me knowing. Answer right now before I beat it out of you," Ancient One said in anger as adrenaline rushed through her new body.
Lucifer finished the drink slowly and just raised an eyebrow, then snorted. "Truly? You wish to fight me and beat me?" Lucifer's eyes zeroed in on the Agamotto's eye around her neck, and he scoffed. "Yao, stop this foolishness. Even your little time stone will not allow you to beat me, for I am truly Lucifer Morningstar, the King of Hell, fallen angel of Heaven."
Wings sprouted behind Lucifer's back, and power enveloped the mirror dimension, threatening to break it apart. The power entered Ancient One’s mind to clear any tamperings.
Ancient One gasped as she understood that the myth was the truth in this new universe, and as the magic entered her mind, suddenly a fog lifted, and she could remember.
Her face immediately turned red as she blushed heavily. Lucifer’s charm was overwhelming as memories hit her, making her remember the days Lucifer seduced her and took her virginity as they traveled through Asia on the way she was looking for the legendary Kamar Taj.
Seeing the red face and nipples poking the illusionary T-shirt, Lucifer laughed hard.
After composing himself, Lucifer said with a smirk, "Ah! I see you remember our encounter 1000 years ago now. You have definitely grown powerful from the moody little virgin looking for Kamar Taj to the Sorceress Supreme now. Last time I saw you, you had sold your soul to Dormammu and were stealing from the Dark Dimension to prolong life and power your magic. Now you are free and have a powerful body. Truly impressive that you got away from that deal. I must ask though, how you managed it, so I could look out for that you will not break the deal we will be stuck in now."
Ancient One grimaced and relaxed as she knew there was nothing for her to do as of now. Lucifer was not someone she could face without sufficient preparation or tools, even with the Time Stone in her hand. Moreover, she didn’t want to fight Lucifer; she was sure that any fight would end with them in bed. It took immense willpower to control her impulses and new body, and for the first time, she cursed the Phoenix in her mind for making it so.
"My Lord Lucifer, I am sorry for trying to threaten you. It seems that someone has manipulated my mind. Regarding my deal with Dormammu, it was not by my choice or will that this happened. It was the Phoenix who did it as punishment for peeking when she was meeting with Lady Death on the day of The Incident. I am sure we can come to an agreement regarding your continued stay on this planet, which is under my protection," Ancient One explained.
Lucifer grinned and stopped her pitch by waving his right finger in a dismissive gesture. "Ah, ah! But this planet Earth is not under your protection. I have already made a deal with the true owner of this planet, and let me tell you, she was really enthusiastic about reaching an agreement. You protect the Shield and the people from other threats, not the planet."
Ancient One’s eyes narrowed at the implication. "Lady Gaea already agreed then?" she inquired.
Lucifer smirked. "Yes, she agreed very much with me and for a long time. Let me tell you, she even said that even if I killed every non-powered human, she wouldn’t mind as long as I resided on the planet forever. She was rather cross with your lot and the humans. Humans for polluting and destruction, and your lot for stopping powerful entities from staying here that would empower her as well. Our long and hard agreement made her see humans as a blessing to be nurtured by us immortals, or we will be bored out of our minds."
Ancient One frowned upon hearing it. "You don’t have to imply again and again. I understood that you and Lady Gaea had sex at the first implication."
Lucifer laughed, "Oh! don’t be jealous, I am sure I can accommodate."
"I am not jealous," Ancient One snapped, and a moment later grimaced at being found out.
Lucifer continued laughing. "Since I can feel desire pouring out of you from the first moment you appeared on the patio and saw me, you don’t need to try so hard to hide it from me. In fact, let me help you by proposing a deal. I will help you relax now, and I will not do anything to the Shield’s integrity. I will even loosely monitor Los Angeles for you to ensure no threats from Hell happen here."
Ancient One blushed, but she was also angry at the situation her hormones had landed her in. She knew the importance of Lucifer's help, but she didn’t want to compromise her position as the Sorceress Supreme physically or morally.
"Lucifer, I don’t need any help relaxing, but I will gladly accept your help in banishing the devils who have sneaked in and keeping the world protected," Ancient One stated firmly.
"Oh, are you sure about that, my dear?" Lucifer said with a smirk. "I am glad to personally help you. I can sense that your gifted body is new and more powerful than humans. It will be my pleasure to let go of some of my restraints that I usually maintain. Let us break in the gift given by Lady Phoenix. I am sure she meant for you to enjoy it too, as your hormones and impulses are over the top regarding this. It must be very stressful to manage your emotions while protecting this world from entities. Think of how easy it will be to only worry about the true threats and not the pesky desires you have to deal with now. Think about how you will get the greatest help you can ever get in dealing with threats while satisfying the itch." Lucifer's silky seductive voice whispered sweet promises. He could see Ancient One's eyes dilating and feel desire overpowering whatever restraints she had maintained. He decided to go for the kill. He slowly moved just before the girl and slowly cupped her face, looking at her dilated eyes that had been screaming desire. He kissed her lips.
The soft lips resisted for a moment before opening and attacking his own to enter his mouth. After dozens of minutes, as they didn’t have to breathe like normal humans, they separated. Ancient One's face was flushed, her eyes in a half-lidded state that even aroused him.
"Now, that was easy, wasn’t it?" Lucifer asked, "How long has it been?" He smirked.
Ancient One grimaced and said, "Too long," before hugging him tightly and smashing her lips to his.
She blushed, remembering the following days she spent with Lucifer as she decided to visit Harry Potter and have a talk with him, breaking her earlier promise to herself of non-interference in Harry’s life.
